Sofia: Teen Romances, Rumors, and Questions
by hopeforeverlove
Summary: Sofia is turning 13, and it is a time for change emotionally and physically. How will Mark, Arizona, and Callie cope with their hormonal tween? This is only the first chapter of a series of chapters about Sofia's life. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!
1. Love: Its Ups and Downs

Sofia closed the door to her room. She was glad that she could come home from a boring day in school and just curl up on her bed with a good book. The 12-year-old girl plopped down on her bed with the latest paranormal romance. School was exhausting, and she only heard it would worsen. 7th grade was exhausting to be exact. The year was going by too slowly for her liking, and it was crazy how much drama was in her life. The rumors. The whispers behind her back. The glares. Her once best friend, Amanda, was doing everything to make her life miserable. Sofia knew she was always the quiet one. The one who was never invited to the sleepovers. The one who never hung out with the popular girls. The one who everyone talked about but never to. And she knew why too, but she always tried to push that thought out of her head. She let out a dramatic sigh. Mami and Momma were at the hospital, and Sofia never liked spending her time there for too long. The surgeries were cool. And the doctors were so nice. But she didn't like seeing the patients. Sofia knew that she couldn't stand even getting the flu, but there were kids who stay at the hospital with cancer or worse. And Momma had to take care of them. So far, home was the best place to be.

Relaxing her mind, Sofia opened the book to where she left off. The cute vampire guy was going to ask Bethany to prom, and it was hopelessly romantic in the 12-year-old's mind. Her eyes skimmed the pages. She was glad she could spend her free time doing what she loved, even if people called her a nerd because of it. Love was so confusing. That was all she knew. It was a mix of ups and downs _and_ ups and downs. Teen romances made it seem so easy. She always felt like she was the last to understand everything in her group of friends. The ones who already turned 13 seemed to act more superior than the rest. Their glares of judgment were not so easy to ignore. Finally, Sofia had to shut the book. She obviously couldn't enjoy a good book without being interrupted by her thoughts. It was 6 pm, and she felt like she needed some human contact now.

She got up from the bed to find Daddy. Daddy could always make her feel better. It was her father's turn to babysit her. She hated the word "babysit." It made her feel like a little kid. Like she was two instead of 12. Actually, she would be turning 13 in a month or so. Sofia smiled at the thought of that. Birthdays were always so fun because Daddy, Mami, and Momma would all take her out to dinner. Aunt Lexie and her siblings would come as well. Even though the adults were busy with surgery, they all made sure to save time for a birthday treat.

Mark was sitting on the couch, watching TV, when he saw Sofia walk towards him. Watching Sofia always made him feel old. He had become an old man now, but it was indeed satisfying. He had a son and two daughters (three if you counted distant Sloane). Anthony was his youngest at 5 years old while Susan was two years older than him. "Hey, Sofia," Mark greeted the worried 11 year old. "Want to join me? Nothing like a good football game, right?" Sofia sat down on the couch, and Mark put his arm around her.

Sofia felt like she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. It wasn't just love that was confusing. Life was confusing in general. There were so many new terms that people used. There were so many relationships now. Even in 7th grade, people had already begun to grow interested in each other. And it was hard to hide that fact that Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres felt left out. "Dad," Sofia started, trying to just focus on the TV.

"What?" Mark asked, hesitating for a moment. He would rather leave the heart-to-heart talks as Callie and Arizona's job. But since they were not here right now, Mark figured the conversation was inevitable.

"Do you think I'm gay?" Sofia asked, feeling the familiar lump in her throat. She had been trying to ignore the question for a while now. But the truth was that it wasn't easy having lesbian parents. When she went to other girls' houses when she was younger, the other moms always seemed to be alarmed by the fact that Sofia had three parents raising her. Everyone had tried to tell her that love was between a boy and a girl, but Sofia knew otherwise. She knew the look Mami gave Momma when they cooked together. She's seen Momma kiss Mami good night many times. And to her…it was normal. There was nothing wrong with it, but the kids at school seemed to think otherwise.

Mark didn't know how to respond the question. He was definitely missing the calmness of Callie and Arizona. The truth was that Sofia always made him feel so nervous. He already had one teenage daughter come up to him and later tell him that she was pregnant. Teenage girls were unpredictable. He had to respond just right. It would be like building an Ikea bookshelf without reading the manual; he was bound to screw up. "What made you ask this?"

Sofia shrugged her shoulders, but she replied anyway. "All the kids at school think I must be because I have two moms," she replied. Her tear trickled down her eye, and she sniffled.

"Well, do you want to be Sofia?" Mark asked slowly

"Yes," Sofia answered, not sure where the conversation was going.

"That's good…because she's a great daughter who loves to read and draw. She's an incredible artist who is such a good big sister as well. Sofia has a great sense of humor. I mean, who wouldn't want to be her?" Mark laughed, trying to cheer Sofia up.

"You didn't answer my question," Sofia answered, biting her lip. She gave Mark a small smile.

"No one has to figure themselves out at twelve years, Sofia. Heck, I haven't even figured myself out, and what am I….200 years old?" Mark joked, looking at Sofia kindly.

"208 years to be exact," Sofia giggled.

"Yeah, and I don't know everything about me. Life changes us, Sof. But we can't rush it. Let change come when it comes," Mark finished, hoping his heart-to-heart talk had been worthwhile.

Sofia nodded, trying to comprehend the information. Maybe she wasn't gay. Or maybe she was. But right now, all Sofia knew was that she was Sofia. And it didn't matter. Who needed teen romances when she could at least try to love herself? Well, maybe she would at least finish the one she started. "Thanks, Dad," Sofia replied.


	2. Sex: The Unavoidable Topic

The morning in the Torres-Robbins household had been a busy one. It had been filled with Sofia's anxieties about her presentation she had to give for English class. Like any 7th grader, Sofia was subject to the monthly book talk that each of her classmates had to give. She obviously wished for something other than the two-minute "fame" as the teacher liked to call it. Unfortunately, the 12-year-old seemed to have inherited her mother's fear of public speaking. The thought of discussing _Ella Enchanted_ was not something Sofia looked forward to, regardless of her opinion about the book. "Can we say I'm sick?" Sofia grumbled while eating her bowl of cereal. The sugary cereal seemed to be the only thing that her moms allowed. But it was a poor substitute for chocolate.

"No," Arizona responded at the same time. Mornings were always a chore, and there had been enough coffee powder for one person. Like the generous person she was, Arizona had given up hers for the gross stuff in the hospital's cafeteria. Callie without her coffee was like dealing with a wild cat. Arizona sighed before a bite of her toast. "Sofia, public speaking is a good skill to have," she told her daughter, giving Callie a look.

Callie laughed. "Don't expect her to like it, Arizona. She's just going to have to deal with it…like I did,"

"Oh," Arizona teased, "You dealt with it professionally, right?"

Sofia looked at both of her moms, finishing the last of her cereal. She got off the bar stool, walked over to the sink, poured the rest of the milk down the drain, and set the bowl in the sink.

Callie raised her eyebrows. "Remember what I told you about finishing your milk? It makes your bones strong, Sof," she chided.

Sofia turned around. The 12-year-old couldn't hide her irritation any longer. She crossed her arms. But she didn't say anything. She had learned a long time ago that she had to pick her own battles, and this was not something she wanted to argue about. Besides, it might help her more to practice her book talk rather than argue with her moms, no matter how annoying they were being.

Arizona had to hide the smile that was forming on her face. As much as she wanted to tease Sofia for her temper, Arizona knew better. And it wasn't good to start a possible early-morning fight when Arizona hadn't had her coffee yet. So the rest of the breakfast was spent in silence, comprised of chewing, drinking, and finally the goodbyes.

When evening came along, Sofia was in a better mood. "Mami!" she yelled as she burst through the garage door. Sofia usually took the bus home because one of her moms was always busy at the hospital, but Arizona and Callie always tried to make sure someone was home with Sofia. It used to be easier before Mark and Lexie got married because the man had a lot more time before, but now, Callie barely got to see him. Nonetheless, she was glad to be the godmother of Anthony and Susan. "What is it, _mija_?" she asked as she was finishing typing up at email to Owen. The hospital was going through some financial difficulties, and each department had to record the budgets cuts that it would make.

"Well, the teacher said I did a really good job on my book talk, and I thought I totally failed because I was shaking the entire time. But Mrs. Andrews disagreed!" Sofia told Callie quickly.

"That's great news!" Callie exclaimed, hugging her daughter. The chance to spend time with her daughter was rare, and the fact that Sofia would soon be a teenager would only make matters worse. Teenager. It seemed like a funny word to call the little girl who once learned how to walk. Time was constantly moving, and it was a constant necessity. Still hugging Sofia, Callie thought about how she and Arizona had thought about giving Sofia a sibling before. For months, Arizona and Callie had played with the idea of getting a sperm donor or even adopting, But they had always put it off. Said a sibling would be better later. Later. And later. Now, Sofia was the only child they had, even though Callie had been promised ten kids once. Maybe Sofia was enough for now.

"Mami," Sofia said, her eyes looking up at Callie. "Hug's over."

"Oh, right," Callie said, letting go finally. "Should we order in to celebrate…or I could heat up some rice and beans?"

"I'd rather go out to eat with Momma, so rice and beans sound good. Mami, I have a question," Sofia said slowly. She knew her question was going to be of the same nature it had been with her father a week ago. Weird. The types of questions that would make her parents raise their eyebrows or fidget. And she _knew_ that they had already begun their parenting discussions that they seemed to have every year. _Sofia this…Sofia that…._but maybe her moms will be more helpful this time.

Callie hesitated, but she answered. "What is it, Sof?"

"Could you…uh…explain sex?" she asked slowly.

"What?"

"Look, I know it's how babies are made. Everyone's says that. And…you don't have to go into graphic detail or anything like that. I have health class, but I just want to know…from you. What does it mean to you?" Sofia was rambling. She hadn't meant to ask her mami about it now, but it was on her mind the entire day, ever since Tommy mentioned it during his book talk. The other 7th graders giggled, but Sofia didn't understand it as much to get the joke. She was always the last to understand anything, and it didn't help that her parents were always busy. But she needed an explanation for the word. Sex. It was that one word that had the ability to make adults stutter and try to change the subject. She had so many questions – ones she didn't even know how to put into words.

Callie paused. She tried to look calm, but she had been dreading this question since the puberty talk they had two years ago. And Arizona was always the better one at these things. Life with extremely Catholic parents had caused the woman to live quite sheltered, and Arizona did too under the strict guidance of her father. But still…it was the question. It was the question that she had to answer by herself…she knew avoiding it would only cause more problems. Callie would rather not be the one with the answers. She was never the 'one with the answers.' _I'm a doctor for Pete's sake…I can do this. _

Callie thought about the word "sex." How it made her feel? Sudden flashes of all her sexual partners went through her mind. It instantly made her feel a lot more uncomfortable about talking to her daughter. Callie may be as conservative as her mother, but when it came to things like this, her Catholic background kicked in. She didn't like to think about her daughter having sex of any form. To Callie, Sofia was still her baby. "Sofia, I don't think you are ready for this now," Callie said.

Sofia stared at her mother, raising her eyebrows. "Okay…you know, I have the internet, but I thought I might as well ask my parents because that would be better? But if you don't want to tell me…" In some ways, she was asking for the sex talk, which was odd considering the fact that most of her peers would rather die than get the sex talk. But Sofia was different. Unlike most kids, she actually liked her parents. Her moms and her dad. She was proud of them for all they did. But Sofia was tired of being the last to know. Tired of causing the awkward silence between her friends. Sofia scoffed at her mother before heading towards her room.

"Sofia," Callie called out, "Can ask why the sudden interest?"

"I'm almost 13! Shouldn't I know more about it? I'm tired of being the last to know anything!" Sofia pouted. She knew pouting was going against the mature idea, but it was hard to stop herself from doing.

Callie nodded. She had to admit to herself that she was being quite immature about this, which was odd considering her age. But she didn't normally consider her age. It had become a forbidden topic between her and Arizona. She still liked to think of herself as the young Ortho attending…but she wasn't. She had been married to Arizona for almost 13 years, though the first two weren't exactly official in the state of Washington. "Once Arizona gets home, we'll both talk to you, Sof. I understand that you are getting to be mature, and it _is _important.


End file.
